Heart of Glass, Mind of Stone
by Athena Skywriter
Summary: Tony has suffered at the hands of his supposed friends during the media-called Civil War, it is know time for him to heal, to rebuild himself and the world around him. Not that this is going to be an easy task with his duties as Iron Man, Rogers constantly breathing down his neck, the threat of an extraterrestrial invasion plaguing his mind and his talent to get into trouble.


'Stand down, final warning,' Tony said, standing motionless for an instant to give Ste… Rogers a chance to surrender.

Despite his best intentions, he couldn't help himself but feel a spark of hope in seeing Rogers breathing heavily. Surely the fight had lasted long enough for Steve to realise that Tony didn't want to fight him. All he wanted was to make the man who killed his mother, who took his mom away from him, pay. Yet, underneath all the pain and suffering, he couldn't deny that he felt satisfaction in observing Rogers struggling to get to his feet. Steve was supposed to be his teammate, his co-leader, his friend. Supposed to be. But all of these were nothing more than an illusion, weren't they? Rogers never respected nor trust him. He did not respect him to lay down on the wire, on their first meeting despite not even knowing him. He did not trust him to handle the truth about his parents, now. No. Tony was never his friend. He was just a convenient tool. Rogers needed a sugar daddy and Tony just happened to have the resources and to be stupid enough to fall into this trap, this illusion of comradeship. He bitterly watched Rogers rise, rejoicing in his grunts of pain and the blood on his face. If asked later, if he even had a later, he would affirm with honesty that, despite any hope that he may have felt, he wasn't surprised when Rogers raised his fists in a defensive position like some out of date boxer.

'I could do this all day.'

Tony raised his hand, his repulsor hissing, ready to strike.

He barely felt the jolt of pain caused by this gesture. His head was swimming and the edges of his vision were strangely invaded by black spots. If he didn't know any better, he would say that he had reached the end of the rope. Physical and emotional exhaustion had finally caught up with him and if not for the pure adrenaline that kept him going, he would have collapsed ages ago. His ears were ringing with his mother's pleas and calls for her husband. His blood was pounding in rhythm with the sound of his father's head bashed against his car's wheel. His lungs were desperately seeking for air just as his mother's lungs when she was being strangled. Strangled by James Buchanan Barnes… with Steve's knowledge. No. With Rogers' knowledge. Rogers had lost the right to be on first-name basis with him when he decided to betray him by not revealing what he knew, when he decided to betray his father, his friend, by helping his murderer. Tony took a shaky breath, his hand risen trembling imperceptibly. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. Just an instant, to catch his breath, to regain his senses, to control this overwhelming feeling that threatened to drown him.

A fraction of a second too much. He detected the iron grip of the Winter Soldier enclose on his boot and he felt his skin crawl, flashes of the exact same super strength spilling his family's blood dancing in front of him. Tony reacted instinctively. He tried to pull away from Barnes' grasp and failing to do so, he reached to kick him in the face, forcing the Soldier to back off. Yet, this momentary distraction was enough for Rogers to evade the wall where Tony had cornered him and the super soldier seized the opportunity to lift Tony up, preventing him effectively to touch Barnes. Tony attempted to break free from Rogers' hold by activating his repulsors. However, Rogers anticipated his move and used the propulsion from his technology as well as his own strength to smash him violently to the ground.

Tony's head hit the ground hard enough to make him see stars for a few seconds, unable to hold back a grunt of pain. When his vision cleared, Rogers was already pinning him to the cold soil of the base, punching him with unrestrained force. Yet, the faceplate held against the super soldier's assault. Noticing the lack of success of his antic method, Rogers grabbed his shield and resumed brutishly hitting him with the unbreakable vibranium weapon. Not even Tony Stark's technology could resist these blows which, soon enough, started to indent the faceplate. Tony could feel the shards of metal dig into his skin, blood pouring freely from the cuts as he could not contain his increasing terror. A few punches later, the headpiece came free and for a fraction of a second, mocha orbs met ice eyes before Tony raised his hands to protect his face in self-defence, convinced to his very core that Steve Rogers was about to deliver the killing blow. He could already picture the shield cracking his head open, blood mingling with brain covering his father's creation, and Rogers's eyes. Ruthless, cold, satisfied eyes. Instead, Steve smashed his shield into the arc reactor with his superhuman strength.

The precious piece of technology shattered and completely disabled the suit. Underneath it, Tony felt his ribs crack and he saw white for an instant, blinded by the sheer agony that spread across his body. When his vision clarified, he saw Rogers, looking utterly defeated, all but collapsing near his handiwork. Rogers took an instant to regain his bearings and catch his breath before reaching to pull his shield away from Tony's chest, forcing the genius to squeeze his eyes shut in an attempt to control the pain pulsing through his nerves. Not once did Rogers meet his eyes. Not once did Rogers ask Tony if he was alright. He walked straight past him, grabbing Barnes' arm to help him stand up and took a few steps with the apparent aim to leave Tony behind. Against his best judgment, Tony sat up with difficulty, unable to control his grunts of pain. He would be damned if he left Rogers leaving him in the dust like some vulgar trash that could be thrown away at any moment.

"That shield doesn't belong to you. You don't deserve it." He hissed between clenched teeth, "My father made that shield!"

His words made the super soldier pause and, even with his back turned to him, Tony could see the internal conflict within him. Yet, a few instants later, Rogers tossed the shield in the snow as if it was nothing, as if it represented nothing.

Tony coughed painfully, spitting a drop of blood on the ground, his muscles collapsing underneath his weight and his body meeting the cold Siberian soil. Rogers never showed a hint of hesitation. Steve Rogers left, leaving Tony to perish in his self-made coffin. What could Tony do, except close his eyes?

AN: Here it is!

I hope you have enjoyed this taster! I would just like to inform you that English is not my first language and that this work is not beta read. If one of you would like to review this story, I would be very grateful!

Do not hesitate to ask any questions or share any feedback in the comments. I would love to hear your opinion on my work!

Thank you for reading!

Athena Skywriter


End file.
